Page 15 of Monster's Baby

“I need to lie down anyway,” Hazel said weakly.“Once you’ve warned Professor Reynolds, you can come back to the room and hopefully I’ll feel better.”

“Get Lilia to cast a healing spell on you.She’s the best at them,” I said, referencing our third roommate.“She’s already checked in.”

Hazel waved at me, clutching her potted plant to her chest, and I headed down to the second floor and the teacher’s offices.It was nice that we were on the third floor this year, the closest to the classrooms.

Professor Reynolds’s office was locked, and he didn’t answer when I tapped on the door.I looked around the hallways helplessly, unsure of where to look for him next.

There weren’t many people around on this floor.The students were all on the floors above me, getting settled in their rooms, and the professors were mostly in their offices, getting ready for the new term.

I spotted a familiar face halfway down my hall.

“Hey, Gràineileachd,” I said, approaching the human-sized giant.“How are you settling in?”

He shook his shaggy hair out of his eyes and looked up from his mop.He frowned.“You.”

“Me,” I replied cheerfully.

He grunted and continued mopping.

His hair kept getting in the way, so I opened my purse and took out a hair elastic, making it regular sized.After a beat, I strengthened the elastic so it would contain his unruly thick hair.“Here.”

Gràineileachd squinted at my hand.“Wazzat?”

“For your hair,” I explained.“You can keep it.I have tons of them because I’m always losing them.”

He shook his head.“I don’t know how to use it,” he mumbled.

“I can show you,” I offered.

“Why?”

“Because you’ll get frustrated with your hair if it keeps going in your eyes.”

He stopped mopping and rested the handle against the wall.“I mean...”He crossed his arms.“Why are you helping me?”

“Oh.”I lowered my hand a bit.“Well, you seemed like you didn’t really want to fight us.You seemed nice.”

“I’m notnice.”He spat the last word at me.

I stepped closer and took his hand, pressing the elastic into it.“You keep telling yourself that.”I beamed at him.“Do you need me to show you how to put your hair up?”

He glared at me.“No.”

“Okay.Do you know where Professor Reynolds is?”

The glare turned suspicious.“I thought you were with that big fire fellow.”

I chuckled.“Have the girls already tried following him around?I promise, I need to see him urgently, and not to flirt with him.”

“Grain,” the giant said.

I blinked.“Sorry?”

The grizzled giant flushed.“I changed my name.It’s Grain.”

“Ah.Pleased to make your acquaintance.Again,” I said.

Grain jingled the keys on his belt.“You can find him in his office.”

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